


i like you, officially

by 506b (orphan_account)



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst, ChanSoo - Freeform, Fluff, Homophobia, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, M/M, bad, lapslock, my apologies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 07:01:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17116634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/506b
Summary: “what does your mom think we even do all the time? sit like good boys in separate corners of the room and recite bible verses?”





	i like you, officially

**Author's Note:**

> eh

kyungsoo has confessed to chanyeol in a number of ways, but never officially. never a full “i like you, i have a crush on you, i want to take this somewhere past the point of friends.”

they kiss, they hook up, they cuddle, and talk like any couple does, but they’re still friends. calling it friends with benefits is gross, kyungsoo thinks. they’re just close friends. chanyeol likes him back, he knows it, but there is still something so scary about making things official.

“you good, soo?”

kyungsoo blinks. he zoned out. of course he did.

he clears his throat. “yeah, i’m okay. sorry,” he mumbles.

chanyeol stands up, closes his textbook, and sets his pen down. “sorry i’ve been studying all night, you must be bored out of your mind.”

kyungsoo isn’t, really. he was pretty relaxed just watching chanyeol study and listening to music. “it’s cool, man. i’d be doing the same if i was still in school.”

“yeah, yeah. still,” chanyeol says, laying down next to kyungsoo, “i feel like i do this every time you come over. i guess there’s not much else for us to do, though.”

“it happens.” kyungsoo smiles softly, happy to be closer to chanyeol now. “i may have an idea, though,” he whispers.

chanyeol smiles and shakes his head. “you’re cute, do kyungsoo. but my mom is here, i don’t want her to, like, walk in.”

“what does your mom think we even do all the time? sit like good boys in separate corners of the room and recite bible verses?” kyungsoo has always found it weird that chanyeol’s mom doesn’t just assume they’re always making out or something.

“honestly i wouldn’t be surprised. she doesn’t even know that i curse, let alone make out with cute boys in my room.”

kyungsoo turns on his side to look at chanyeol.

he looks tired, the aftermath of working on his chemistry presentation for almost 6 hours. his hair is messy and his (very minimal) makeup has started to fade and come off. he still looks cute, kyungsoo thinks. he always does.

kyungsoo is distracted from looking at chanyeol’s dark eye bags when chanyeol’s door bursts open.

he sits up immediately, trying to make himself look occupied with anything other than staring at chanyeol. he snatches a rubik's cube off of chanyeol’s bedside table.

“hey boys, just wanted to let you know that dinner’s gonna be ready in about twenty! we’re having pasta!” chanyeol’s mom shouts, even though they are in the same room now. she’s always shouting things, a lot like her son.

they always have pasta, without fail. kyungsoo smiles and says, “awesome, thanks miss park.” although he’s still pretty startled by her sudden arrival.

“can you please knock?” chanyeol asks for the 300th time. she will never knock, he knows that, but he makes a point to ask every time she barges in unannounced.

she says nothing and closes the door. kyungsoo flops back down on chanyeol’s bed.

“i’ve never seen anyone get up that fast,” chanyeol remarks, laughing quietly. “i don’t think she would’ve gotten mad at you for laying down.”

“i wasn’t just laying down,” kyungsoo says. it sounds weird the second he says it. “i was thinking,” he clarifies.

“about?”

“you. what else would i be thinking about?” 

“something important?” chanyeol suggests, probably not meaning to sound so self-deprecating, but it still makes kyungsoo’s heart hurt. “don’t make that face.”

“i’m not making a face,” the short boy complains. “don’t talk like that, it makes me sad.” 

chanyeol sighs. “yeah, yeah. anyway, what were you thinking about? how cute and handsome i am?”

“i was thinking about how you’re a huge loser, actually.” chanyeol hits him lightly on the chest, faking a scowl. “you’re just… distracting. i like looking at you.”

“you’re cute, do kyungsoo,” chanyeol says again. he knows that if anyone else called him cute they’d immediately get told off. chanyeol’s an exception to pretty much every rule kyungsoo has ever set.

don’t touch me, don’t call me cute, don’t mention my height, don’t call me anything but kyungsoo. but chanyeol can do it because he’s different, the one and only exception.

“don’t think for a second that you’re not still a loser, even if i like you nothing changes that!” kyungsoo adds that last part without thinking much.

he knows chanyeol likes him back because… well, everything they’ve been doing for a few years now is proof that chanyeol likes him. he’s been testing the waters with small confessions and remarks for a while now, all successful and met with some cute comments from chanyeol, but saying it still feels weird.

chanyeol beams at that. “i may be a loser, but i won your heart!”

kyungsoo lets him know how much he hated that joke with a scrunched up nose and furrowed brows.

+

“you boys are awfully quiet tonight, is something wrong?” miss park asks through a full mouth of spaghetti. “you know kyungsoo, you don’t have to keep anything from me!”

kyungsoo’s stomach twists. “i’m not keeping anything from you miss park, don’t worry! just not feeling very talkative,” he assures her.

chanyeol’s foot nudges his own from beside him. it’s seriously like he can sense nervousness. creepy, but comforting. “is it alright if soo stays over?”

“of course! you don’t even have to ask! do you need a toothbrush? i think i may have some clothes in your size from when chanyeol was younger, do you want those?”

miss park is almost too accommodating. it makes kyungsoo feel bad that he’s sort of lying to her. of course it’s for chanyeol’s safety, which comes before anything, so not too bad. she’s only accommodating when she thinks they’re straight, he reminds himself. he thinks of what happened to chanyeol’s cousin, his uncle, his family friends. they were disowned by their family just for loving someone. kyungsoo thinks about that and suddenly he feels upset.

“thank you, but i’m all set,” he says, tone still calm but a touch colder. miss park doesn’t say anything for once.

when they finish their dinner, kyungsoo throws his paper plate and plastic fork in the trash and immediately retreats to chanyeol’s room under the excuse of needing to tell his mom he’s staying over. she won’t care, and he’s probably not gonna text her at all, but he doesn’t want to get any more upset.

“are you mad at me?” chanyeol asks, a familiar tone in his voice that makes kyungsoo's heart drop a bit. “i’m sorry if i did something wrong, i thought you wanted to stay over.”

“i’m not mad at you, yeol, don’t worry about that. you know i’m more straightforward with you than that. i just started thinking about your family’s history with… people like us. it made me upset, i guess.”

chanyeol sits down beside kyungsoo on the foot of his bed. “it’s scary, knowing that there is one thing that is going to make your family despise you, and you can’t even change it. but i just have to keep it a secret until we graduate.”

“and then?”

“i move out, thrive without them. i’ll be another example to the park family of why people like us are still strong, hardworking, no different than them.”

chanyeol’s words are confident but he’s nervous, hands shaking and voice wavering. kyungsoo feels nauseous. 

“we don’t have to talk about this,” kyungsoo says, partially because he doesn’t want to anymore, but he can tell that chanyeol’s feeling a little down since talking about it, too.

“let’s not,” chanyeol agrees. “my mom went up to her room.”

kyungsoo takes the hint and kisses him, placing his left hand on chanyeol’s jaw and his right on his neck. “you locked the door?” he asks when they part for just a moment.

chanyeol nods and slots their lips together again.

+

“you’re cute,” chanyeol says. it never seems to get old for kyungsoo.

right now, he knows he isn’t cute. his hair is greasy and his eyes have dark, dark rings underneath them that make him look nearly dead, he’s exhausted, cold, and if he looks at another diagram of quantum levels he is going to puke. 

“i’m not, but thanks,” he mumbles, just loud enough for chanyeol to hear. chanyeol slides into the seat next to his friend. “kiss for my troubles?” kyungsoo asks.

troubles as in having to tutor a group of 12 year olds for 3 hours while running on about 20 minutes of sleep.

chanyeol looks around the bus, probably trying to make sure nobody he knows is around. kyungsoo shakes off how gross he feels watching him. but he understands. he’s just glad that they can kiss in public, really.

when chanyeol seemingly determines that the coast is clear, he presses his lips against kyungsoo’s softly. 

they kiss for a few moments until a voice calls out, “chanyeol?”

they immediately pull away, chanyeol’s ears burning red. “holy shit, fuck, what the fuck?” he panics, hiding his face behind the seat.

“chanyeol, it’s me,” the voice says again. kyungsoo looks for the source and his eyes land on an average height man with a very squishy looking face. he’s older, late 30s or early 40s, and he looks really familiar.

kyungsoo recognizes him from a family photo in chanyeol’s house, one that’s not there anymore. 

“yeol, i think it’s your uncle. uncle jinki, right?” kyungsoo whispers, low enough that the man can't hear them.

chanyeol looks up, still trying to hide his face. “are you sure? i can’t… can’t. look.”

the man walks closer to the back of the bus and sits in a seat across the aisle from them. “chanyeol, is that you? it’s jinki, please tell me i’m not scaring some random guy now. i really hope that’s you.”

chanyeol looks up then, still looking completely mortified. “it’s... me.” he stumbles a bit on his words. kyungsoo holds his hand, squeezing tightly to make chanyeol feel even a little bit safer.

+

lee jinki, or now choi jinki, is the uncle that was disowned by his own family for having a secret boyfriend. kyungsoo has always wanted to meet him, the way chanyeol described him was amazing, like a man out of a movie.

he had only been forced out of the family 5 years ago, when chanyeol and kyungsoo were only 13 and too young to understand the weight of what was happening. all chanyeol knew was that his favourite uncle was gone, and he wouldn’t be coming back. 

kyungsoo remembers chanyeol crying on the phone that night, talking about how he didn’t want jinki to leave, he didn’t understand why this would happen.

jinki is 37 now, a successful doctor and married to the man he was caught with the night he was disowned. looking at him, his life and his successes even after all the hardships he faced, it inspires kyungsoo a lot. 

chanyeol cries. he cries for hours, on the bus, while exchanging numbers with his long lost uncle, while he and kyungsoo walk back to chanyeol’s house from the bus stop. kyungsoo isn’t sure if this is sadness or relief or what.

he only stops crying 5 minutes away from his house, coming to a stop on the sidewalk and rubbing at his eyes. “i need to look… normal. she can’t know that i saw him,” he whispers. chanyeol honestly looks destroyed. his entire face is red, his eyes most of all. 

“we can sit down on a bench and calm down. that’ll help,” kyungsoo suggests. he can’t think of anything else.

they find a bench and sit, chanyeol opting to lay down with his head on kyungsoo’s lap instead of sitting upright. 

“my head is pounding,” chanyeol groans. “i’ve never cried so much…”

“i’ve never seen anyone cry so much. i have aspirin in my bag, i think.” he reaches over to grab his bag but chanyeol stops him by holding onto his arm.

“don’t wanna take anything, just play with my hair.”

so kyungsoo does. he threads his fingers through chanyeol’s thick black hair, making chanyeol promise not to fall asleep on his lap. after a while, chanyeol looks less like a cherry tomato and more like himself.

“should we get going?” kyungsoo asks. the sky is getting dark, it’s almost chanyeol’s curfew. “i don’t want you to get in trouble.”

“i won’t, soo. let’s just stay here, it’s nice here.”

+

“thank you for inviting us over, i can’t buy wine or anything so i figured… flowers i guess.” kyungsoo laughs at his own awkwardness. jinki laughs too, stepping to the side and welcoming kyungsoo and chanyeol into his home.

it’s incredible. that’s the only word kyungsoo can think of to describe it. high ceilings, a golden chandelier above their dining table, glorious marble countertops, creme leather couches with an intricately designed rug underneath, the works. kyungsoo is in awe.

jinki must have noticed because he says, “you’re going to catch flies.”

to which kyungsoo responds, “you don’t… own flies…” like an idiot.

chanyeol looks around and almost cries again. “you’re so successful,” he says. “and after everything…”

“i am successful because i was no longer hiding things from people. i had nothing left to be afraid of, and minho was there to support me as well. as much as i missed you, your sister, even your mother, i knew i would have lived a miserable and short life if i were still a part of that family.”

jinki’s very calm, even when chanyeol is near panicking again just looking at him, he is calm and collected.

“i wish i knew what was going on when it happened,” chanyeol says simply. his voice sounds stuffy and it makes kyungsoo want to hold his hand again.

jinki shakes his head. “no child should have to come face to face with the fact that something unchangeable about themselves can be met with such horrible things.”

only a moment later, a tall man walks in through the door with his hands full of groceries. he’s carrying them as if they’re weightless. 

“chanyeol, kyungsoo, this is minho. he’s, well, the guy. minho, this is my nephew and his friend.”

minho sets the groceries on the counter and smiles at the two boys. “nice to meet you both! chanyeol, right? geez, you’re tall!” he says, sticking his hand out for chanyeol to shake.

“um, yeah!” chanyeol shakes the man’s hand.

“and kyungsoo! i’ve heard great things about you, as well!” he sticks his hand out the same as he did for chanyeol, and kyungsoo shakes it.

minho is a very overwhelmingly positive presence. if chanyeol was a ray of light, minho was an entire sun packed into one person. he also acts a lot like an uncle would, which makes sense. he’s old fashioned, chanyeol would say.

+

eating dinner with jinki, minho, and chanyeol feels like what kyungsoo imagines dinner at a functional family’s house is like. they make jokes and talk about their lives rather than just spewing hatred and ignorance. they say things like “can you pass the sour cream?” which kyungsoo genuinely thought only happened in movies.

kyungsoo thinks about how much happier chanyeol would be here rather than with his mother. he wouldn’t feel so ashamed just for being himself, he could be free like jinki and minho are, they could be with each other without having to hide.

“i think you should ask them about moving in with them,” kyungsoo says. “it’d be so perfect, yeol. please ask them, i can’t even bear the idea of you staying with your mom any longer.”

“i can’t just do that, i just got to meet him again after five years. i just… don’t want to do anything that might mess up what i’ve just gotten back.”

kyungsoo understands, he does. he’s not winning any best communicator awards anytime soon. “eventually, then? yeol, you deserve to live somewhere better than where you are now, even if it takes a year, please consider asking them.”

chanyeol nods, but it doesn’t look like he wants to continue the conversation.

they arrive at chanyeol’s house and immediately head into his room. something about it makes kyungsoo feel a bit sad, but that’s forgotten when chanyeol’s lips find their way to his.

“i like you,” kyungsoo whispers when chanyeol pulls away just enough for them to breathe. “i love you.”

it's official, this time. not hidden within a million other words, not just in the background. he likes, loves, adores chanyeol.

“i love you,” chanyeol whispers back. “my rock.”

**Author's Note:**

> sorry it was kind of set up for a sequel that i’ll never write but in my defense... it’s not good 
> 
> kudos and (nice) comments are appreciated!
> 
> talk to me @baekcore on twitter :~)
> 
> (p.s.) i uploaded this on my phone and you wanna know something? uploading on ao3 fucking sucks on mobile! try it sometime and tell me you don’t want to throw your phone into the ocean


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